Guardians of the Benison
by Golden-Twilightflame
Summary: *Based on the China Garden* This is the story of two destinies wrapped together by the ancient power of the Benison, and the greatest threat to ever come between them. *Ch. 5 up*
1. Enter the Rose

A/n: This is my first fanfic for the China Garden, but flames are welcome anyway. Well, constructive flames. Please review! (Btw, I'm writing this fanfic partially to scare my parents, so I'm leaning heavily on supernatural and romance stuff later. Just a warning!) And for those who haven't read The China Garden before, it's about this story's characters' descendents, Clare Rosamund Kenward and Mark Aylward. They are bound by energies to Ravensmere; they are the Guardians of the Benison. The Benison is a mystery; only the Guardians know what it is. The book is about Clare and Mark accepting the Guardianship and their destinies together, so I decided to write something about the daughter of one of their famous ancestors (This is for Ali especially ^ ^)  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any that Liz Berry owns; I especially don't own her book The China Garden.  
  
Ch. 1:  
  
Rosamund Aurora Kenward brushed a speck of dirt off her sensible white dress, and quickly set mint leaves into the sparkling well water to steep. "Well water is good as usual," she said with a wry grin. She left the tea in the iron kettle to boil, and hummed contentedly as she went around her small kitchen. After about fifteen minutes, she took the kettle off the fireplace with her soft, big gloves and carefully poured the steaming tea into an earthenware mug. Her patient eyed the mug warily, and muttered, "Not again, please not again." Aurora pretended to pay no attention as she sprinkled a little sugar from a small bag into the cup, and brought the tea and weak broth to him. He shook his head insistently, like a little boy, and half-shouted, "I have been drinking this...flavored water for the past two weeks! I am not some old geyser half in the grave, Rose!"  
  
"James Edward Aylward! Stay down or I'll smack you proper, patient or no! This is good for you, and you deserve this after the scare you gave me. You-you could have died, you simpleton!" She batted at some rebellious tendril of hair. "And you not only scared me, you also scared your fiancé!" She mock-glared at him. James smiled his trademark devil-may-care grin, and said carelessly, "Actually I'm ok now so Vicky and you-especially you-can stop being scared." Rose smiled sweetly. "Then you won't mind while I go ahead and leave you with Victoria while I go for a stroll in the garden with Gilbert."  
  
James suddenly lost his smile. "Why are you walking with Gilbert?" Gilbert, who was James's best friend-and the charmer that half the girls in the village were swooning over, when they weren't doing that over James. James suddenly wanted to send Gilbert off for a nice little swim in mosquito-infested waters. Anywhere away from Rose, who was looking innocently at him. "Gilbert's a dear friend, you know that." Her eyes twinkled at him mischievously. "He's not bloody good enough for you," James muttered. Rose smiled wickedly at him. "But lately he's been ever so fond of me!" she teased. And it was true, Gilbert had practically died from admiration every time he saw her from the day he met Rose three years ago. For this reason, she didn't have many friends in the village girls so she spent all her time with her horses, dogs, and her imperious cat-oh yes, and the boys. 


	2. A Portrait, Tradition, and Revelation

A/n: Please review! I love reading what other people think of my writing, even if it's bad. By the way, is using the term 'bloody' a really bad curse word? I used it here because I noticed it accented the plot well and I got the impression from the original novel that people in England use that in their everyday speech, but I'll take them off if they're more than a mild form of cursing. This is PG, after all.......happy reading and reviewing!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything owned by Liz Berry. If my writing looks like someone else's, I didn't do it on purpose. Ch. 2  
  
At that moment, the aforementioned charmer burst into the room. "Rosie!" he cried. "Help me get away from them!!!!" He pointed half- hysterically at the giggling village girls who were trying to attach themselves all over. "For the love of God and her majesty Queen Elizabeth, do something!" He quickly shut the door on them. James and Rose, at the same time, started to laugh hysterically and were reduced to tears. In other words, completely useless to the frantic Gilbert. He glared at them, then shouted out the door, "I'm going to be a bloody monk with my best friend James, so clear off!" The giggling stopped. Suddenly wails of despair and pleading were heard, and Rose collapsed onto James while she laughed and half choked. She held onto him desperately to stay on the bed, but was defeated and pulled James accidentally down on top of her. "Oomph!! Get off, you big piece of meat!" James mock-groaned and stayed on top of her, while Gilbert gallantly tried to get him off Rose. Rose said indignantly, "Off. NOW." James smiled wickedly and wrapped his arms around her, saying, "But I'm an invalid patient and I should not exert myself. So we can just stay like this." Gilbert muttered, "Oh, no you don't." He dragged James slowly of Rose, who was by now furious. As she sat up, her thick black hair-with the hereditary (and traditional) red highlights got caught in James's earring. She grinned, and tugged hard. "You bloody little witch!" he howled as he danced around the room holding his ear. Rose shrieked as Gilbert held her down and James mercilessly tickled her. "Don't- please-stop-please-"  
  
And the village girls got in, and all hell broke loose. And Victoria came in, to see James and Gilbert fending off the village girls while Rose ran out the door to escape Gilbert and James (who she had kicked solidly in their behinds) and the hysterical village girls. Victoria, who was their leader, shouted, "Quiet! And get your hands off James, he's mine." She quickly wrapped her arms around him possessively. James looked oddly at his fiancè for a moment, strangely wondering what he had ever seen in such a bossy, conceited girl. So possessive and imperious. Then he reminded himself by looking down at her. Victoria was pretty, with her sulky brown eyes and generous curves. But...that was all she was. After spending weeks talking with Rose and Gilbert, he realized that she had been choking him, suffocating him. She smiled sweetly at him, and said gaily, "Dearest, I haven't seen you for four weeks! You've been cooped up in here with only Gilbert and Rosamond so long, I thought you were dead!" She pouted dramatically, waiting for him to reassure her. James slowly untangled her hands, to her confusion and anger. "What-what are you doing?" He replied, to her horror and mortification, "I don't think we should get married." With that, she stared at him then burst into hysterics. "You-you can't do this to me!" she sobbed. She ran out of the door, with the village girls following her out.  
  
Rose peeped back in. "Is it safe to come back in?" James and Gilbert nodded wearily. Then Gilbert brightened, and with a flourish handed her a small portrait of her. Rose gasped with pleasure. The miniature was a perfect picture of her, from the slender arms and legs to- "Gilbert!" she slapped his hand lightly. "Did you-did you have to-show-did you have to be so exact about my curves?" Gilbert grinned wickedly. "Lovely, aren't they?" Rose growled, then went back to the portrait. Her face was painted with delicate features that nonetheless reflected her tenacity and love of life. Gilbert had painted in gleams in her witchy-looking silver twilight eyes, arching nose, and smiling red lips. Her cheeks seemed satiny, and yet still lightly colored from healthy life. The black, streaming hair was fluted in this picture to give the impression of an ebony waterfall, and yet her slightly tall, willowy body seemed slightly overwhelmed-not by the red-streaked load of hair, but by some inner source of energy. Rose smiled affectionately at Gilbert, who overflowed with pride. "A lovely portrait for a lovely girl." Rose muttered, "I wish I were a boy so I wouldn't have to wear....ugh. Or at least bigger, I look ridiculously like those 'society ladies' that wear corsets and bonnets all the bloody time." James poked her rather hard at this moment. "We're rather lucky you're a girl, you stave off all the girls in the village and get us favors from all the lads. Which reminds me," he added casually, "I'm not getting married to Victoria anymore."  
  
Rose frowned at him. "I thought we both agreed that you should break the Stoke Raven tradition. Or, rather, that particularly nasty tradition." Gilbert stared at them. "What tradition?" Rose sighed loudly. "Stoke Raven tradition says that the eldest Kenward girl always gets married to the eldest Aylward boy. That would mean me and James, by the way. It's been that way for ages and ages, but James and I both agreed that we didn't want to get married and-Gilbert? Where are you going?" Gilbert stared hard at James. "Can't believe you never told me that, for all these years we've been friends." He practically ran to the door, and slammed it in Rose and James's surprised faces. Rose said slowly, "I wonder what that's all about. I knew he'd be rather surprised, but not like this. Never like this." James winced, but said bravely, "You know, I hate to be the one to inform you but Gilbert's been head over heels in love with you ever since I introduced you two." Rose stared at him. "Joking." James just shook his head.  
  
Rose got up and started pacing as she ranted her denial. "Gilbert's a handsome lad, and he jokes all the time about marrying me, but he's just joking. I mean, really..." Rose just kept going in that vein while she also mused silently. Gilbert really was attractive, with his sandy mop of hair, mischievous blue eyes, and classic athletic build, but of course James, well, James was on a completely different level. His chiseled face and body were perfect, along with the slamming combination of his wicked green eyes, elegant manner, and slightly mussed hair. Now that she thought of it, it really was no wonder so many girls had fallen for James. And hated her for her closeness to him. "You know," Rose mused afterwards, "if I hadn't known you and Gilbert for all my life I might well be head over heels in love with one of you two." She started laughing helplessly at the thought, but James quickly pinned her down and started tickling her mercilessly. "No- stop-please-James-" They tussled for a moment, but then collapsed together on the ground, completely exhausted. 


	3. Seeing through the Gates

Disclaimer: I do not own anything owned by Liz Berry.  
  
Ch 3:  
  
Rose woke up early in the morning, far before the sun rose. It was a time that she normally spent in her garden, or finishing her homework early; instead, she felt an odd sense of peace and warmth hover over her as she slowly came to her senses. She stretched, then yawned sleepily before she realized that she had been sleeping on James for the entire night. Yelping, she hopped out of bed and James groaned as he felt his arms tingle with a rush of blood. Rose quickly sped off to her garden in the maze of Ravensmere before he could embarrass her further.  
  
In the garden, Rose felt a calming, serene feeling steal over her as she surveyed the mist filled garden. The trees and rose bushes looked almost mystical in the early morning, as they always did when she felt the irresistible call of the Maze Dance. As she lightly twirled from the beginning of the ancient, intricate maze, the same rhythmic music stole over her senses and she remained in a world of pure physic feeling until she was abruptly jarred out of it reaching one of the Gates. As it opened, it blasted its chosen recipient with a vivid image: James and Gilbert....Rose strained to see.....James and Gilbert fighting! They were in the village square, and were rolling on the ground, duking it out- apparently over a girl. Rose frowned. What could be so important about that? Then her view shifted from the rolling combatants to Victoria's smug, satisfied face. Rose stumbled back from shock, and the rose bush filled the empty Gate again. Her cat, named Aurus to match her middle name, rubbed against her legged and purred happily as they trotted from the garden.  
  
When Rose came back to check up on James, he was already awake but was waiting docilely in bed for her to feed him-too docilely. She eyed him suspiciously, and said, "What's going on? This isn't the time for a lark, I need to talk to you." James only grinned. "I'm serious, James." She gave him her "witchy look", the one where she narrowed her silverish eyes and stared at him cadaverously. He shivered. *Don't do that* he sent by their mental telepathy. *Why not?*  
  
*Because Gilbert's starting to get suspicious about our spontaneous way of bursting things out. He swung by yesterday to apologize, and kept asking me if I had talked to you even though we stayed in the same place the entire time. He was feeling really bad, by the way.* She swung into the room incautiously. *Well, he should be after blowing up like that. That was right rude.* She slammed the door, only to hear a knock and her father's voice. "Rosamund Aurora Kenward! How dare you shut this door in my face???" Rose winced. "My apologies, Mr. Aylward. I didn't realize you were there." She opened the door to her room cautiously, and faced the furious owner of Stoke Raven. He pushed her aside to see his son. "James, you've been lying in that bed for weeks now. If you haven't recovered from that silly cough you never will." Rose mouthed behind his back, "If he had pneumonia he'd be moaning sick in bed for months." James grinned in spite of himself, and got a sharp rebuke from his father in return. He stood up quickly, and walked out the door arguing with his father while Rose shook her head and answered a call for a poultice. 


	4. Forgiveness and Surprise

A/n: I'm not exactly sure where this fanfic is going, the summary was only to give a basic idea of what I think is going to happen....*shrug*  
  
~Reviewers~  
  
Starhollow: Thank you for the review, so so so much. I didn't know that there were other China Garden fanfics other than yours and the one I'm writing...what are their titles? Btw: Please keep writing your fanfic on CG. It's really fun reading something that's actually on the same subject ^ ^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ch. 4: Rose sighed as Gilbert, transformed into a stern, older brother, lectured her on the dangers of....what was it again? Oh yes. Making enemies among the villagers. She rolled her eyes mentally as she pretended to nod and listen attentively, and let her mind wander. James was probably off with another girl, Victoria was probably off with two other boys, and she was stuck in the library with Gilbert. She looked around discreetly, and let her eyes settle on the Book of the Sacred Dream, written by her mother Rosamund. Her mother, and her grandmother, and her great grandmother...all named Rosamund. She grinned suddenly as she saw James waving frantically at her in the window behind Gilbert's back and quickly sent a thought to him. *Rather boring in here, what are you doing out there?*  
  
*I'm going swimming while you stay with your fond admirer.* He sent an impression of an impish grin. *Have fun.* She sent back an image of her making him stay on her patient bed for another three weeks and pouring nasty potions down his throat. Instead of groaning in mock horror as he always did, his eyes changed suddenly, became dark emerald. *See you later, Aurora dearest.* Rose frowned slightly. Why did he call her by her middle name? No one used that name except for her stiff-necked father. Who, of course, melted every time she used her mother's way of batting her eyelashes at him shyly...but that was beside the point. He was a lemon the rest of the time. She turned her thoughts back to James's odd behavior. Why did he act so oddly? She giggled out loud suddenly. Her acquaintance, Charlotte, would have told him that he looked hot. But of course, Charlotte was from America. Gilbert grinned at her, his lecture long over while he studied her face (for a painting, of course). "So. How would you like to learn more about your future inheritance as the Kenward bride?" His eyes held a hint of some hidden emotion, but revealed more of his easygoing self than had been for a long while. Rose smiled sweetly, and smacked him smartly over the head with a leather-bound book. "Sure."  
  
Later, as Gilbert mockingly acted out the part of a lord saying good- bye to his lady, James burst in and pinned her to the ground with his twilight filled eyes. "I need to borrow Auro-Rose for a second, excuse me," he said icily. He dragged her out, then gave her the reins to a horse. "Ride with me for a while?" His eyes were pleading, and yet imperious. Rose said slowly, "What is this all about? This better not be some prank." James shook his head frantically. "No, no...it's just that I need to talk to you somewhere where we won't be overheard." He sent an impression of Gilbert and some members of their family. They rode hard and fast, going deep into the forests surrounding Stoke Raven. After they dismounted, Rose slid off her horse gracefully and put her hands on her hips. "What is this all about?" she demanded. James's eyes were now a brilliant green, boring into hers. "You know we're the Guardians." She nodded. "And you know we're supposed to be Destined together." She winced, but nodded again. He took a deep breath, and kissed her softly on the mouth. She stared shell-shocked at his brilliant eyes. Then she punched him in the stomach. "What the bloody hell was that for?" He said nothing, only looked broodingly at her. "Well?" She snapped, "Well what?"  
  
"Did you feel anything?" Rose blushed for one of the first times in her life. "No. Absolutely not." She swung back on her horse and ran for home as if the Devil himself were chasing her, leaving James in the shade of the tree smiling softly and staring at her fleeing form. Perhaps things could work out after all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/n: *cough* well, um, that was rather awkward. But you see, I don't actually want them...ok, never mind. I just realized I don't have a knack for writing romance, so I'm jacking the genre to make it something else. New ideas churning through my head...yay. Please review anyway!!! 


	5. Grandmama's Gown

Ch. 6:  
  
Rose sighed. "Mama, I think this one is too ostentatious." The gown, 'modified' by Rose's forceful-and determined-mother, was a lovely shade of Rose's floral namesake, that shimmered with tints of ruby when it moved. Rose was actually perfectly fine with that...it was the design she was having issues with. The gown was a close fitting dress that was designed to show Rose off to her best advantage; however, it was a common design that Rose privately thought was giving the wrong impression off. It was probably worn by mistresses...definitely not something she would want to be seen in, let alone actually dance in. Rose's mother, a willowy woman who had the same witchy eyes and delicate features, looked in the room and sighed. "Rosamund. It is your name, and you need to live up to it." Rose raised an arching black eyebrow. "Mother, short from being impertinent I cannot begin to fathom how going to the ball in this...this...display will help me be a good person."  
  
Her mother got that Look, that strange unblinking look that she always got whenever she and her daughter ever strayed near the path of the Guardianship. "The Guardians always do whatever is needed to protect the- protect Ravensmere and Stoke Raven." Rose got a frustrated look on her face. "Mama. Honestly, I don't understand why you want me to attract other people my age if Stoke Raven tradition is dictates that I marry James." Then it hit her, with her mother staring almost guiltily at her. "This is for James? This...this...oh my god, I should have known." Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Fine, fine. But you will go to the ball in a gown that I approve of."  
  
Rose became intensely thoughtful. Grandmama's ball gowns...they were vintage. Never touched after her time...and this was a something like costume ball, they were all expected to come in clothing that was not the typical ball gown. She rushed to the old room where they were kept with a smile on her face, imagining the astonished looks on her family and friends' faces when she appeared in this. She searched through the afternoon, looking at dress after dress from that time...whirls of red, blue, and copper danced in front of her by the time she was done. She held up a gown designed for quick, easy movements and quickly slipped in. Although meant to be worn with a corset, Rose's body was toned by her active lifestyle and she slipped in with a few wiggles. Dancing around in the cool silk, she whirled around the room. *James, come look!* She looked down, fingering the intricate designs of the astrological designs of stars and moons entwined together in a whirling design. Turning around, she saw James standing there and whirled to show him the entire design. "Isn't it fascinating? I think I'll wear it to the ball, Mother won't be able to say anything against it because it's Grandmama's.She was a vision in the light gold silk that was mixed with the midnight ocean depth color of the skirt. "I actually like this gown, but I wanted you to see me in it so you won't be surprised at the ball and gape at me like you did when cousin Emma visited." Four years ago, Rose had come in an uniquely cut pink and cream gown that blazed with traditional English feminine touches while it subtly conveyed her beauty, simply to irk her snobby cousin who despised Rose for her familiarity with James and Gilbert. After the ball, no more mockingly disparaging comments about her 'masculinity' had been made by the astonished relatives. And James had become oddly overprotective of Rose while they both went through puberty and the both of them began to attract members of the opposite gender like merchants to coins. That year, James and Rose had become more and more strongly connected, and would often talk about their lives, or discuss philosophy as often as they went rowing in the lake or walking in Salisbury. That year was when Rose had become truly aware of her obligations as Guardian, and the strength of power that had accompanied puberty. James sent an awe-filled thought to her. *It's amazing. Just...amazing. Can I dance with you the entire time? I'm afraid someone's going to try and steal you away from Stoke Raven with that kind of dress." Rose frowned down on it. "I can't see all of it. Is it one of those audaciously cut dresses, do you mean?" James only disappeared, and Rose followed him out the door curiously but raised an eyebrow as James hefted a bowl in. "I don't reckon the ghosts in the next room will mind up borrowing their things for a bit, so you can see yourself once I pour some water in." Rose raised an eyebrow at his reverent tone of voice, then stared speechless at what she saw in the calm water from James' water pack. "Well, then. I stand corrected. It's not audaciously cut, but there's something in the dress that actually makes me pretty." She examined it avidly, not noticing her mother standing with a dazed expression on her face. "Rose? My Rose? She hugged Rose, and said, "Oh, I definitely approve of this one. Definitely. Don't you approve?" She looked at James, who was still looking dumbstruck by Rose in the ball gown. "Oh. Yes, absolutely. Just...brilliant. Amazing. Wow. Must go, I er...have something I have to do before I come back and gape at Rosie." He practically ran down the stairs while Rose and her mother stared after him. Rose's mother recovered first, and commented in a wry voice, "Your father reacted the same way. I think it's hereditary, honestly."  
  
A/n: Yup, I'm back. Hopefully, I'll be able to get in a couple more chapters before writer's block sets in again, what do you think? 


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